Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sound system for a motor vehicle, having a control unit, an input unit for operating the system, a display unit, a unit for generating source data in the form of audio data, an amplifier unit for amplifying the source data, one or more speakers associated with the amplifier unit, and a bus system that assures the transmission of the source data and control data for controlling the units among the individual units. The invention also relates to a method for defining a functional scope or range of functions of a sound system.
One such sound system is generally described in Published European Patent Application 0 725 522 A. Such a system is also described in the publication "OCC 8001" CONAN "Optical Transceiver", C & C Electronics Ltd., 1996. The sound systems shown therein have a control unit, also known as a head unit, which accomplishes the control of the entire system and which enables the outputting of information through the display unit, the operation of the system through the input unit by the user, and the conversion into appropriate control commands for the individual units of the sound system. The known sound systems for motor vehicles have a rigid system configuration, which allows the integration of only certain units, provided by the control unit or head unit, into the system. Therefore, the known sound systems for motor vehicles prove to be relatively inflexible, not very user-friendly, and very expensive in the event of adaptation of the system to new conditions. Adaptation to new additional components of different kinds is assured in the known sound systems by providing that along with the new unit, a new control unit or head unit must be integrated into the system as well, which involves the disadvantages already described.